In their haste to display contempt for former New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie’s presidential prospects, pundits and Republican insiders are missing the point. Few expect the candidate who finished sixth in New Hampshire in 2016 to capture the hearts of the MAGA base (especially after Christie, in his role as a panelist on ABC’s “This Week,” periodically skewered defeated former president Donald Trump). However, in this case, there’s more to Christie’s campaign than a chance of victory.
Christie’s highest value to the party — and to the country — not unlike the contribution of former congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), is to mount an effective takedown of Trump in the Republican presidential primary that either brings the GOP to its senses or hobbles him going into the general election. As an infamous bully credited with ruining Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) presidential chances in 2016, Christie has the verbal skills and chutzpah that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lacks to attack Trump in ways that could do real damage.
For starters, Christie can help create a rationale (what psychologists call a “permission structure”) that allows Republicans who voted for Trump to move on. After all, once he dropped out in 2016, Christie supported Trump. During Trump’s presidency, Christie periodically defended him, but after Jan. 6, 2021, he sharply rebuked Trump and since has warned that the charges against Trump are serious. In other words, he can say, “Like you, I voted for Trump in 2016 — but we cannot nominate him again.” He can tout Trump’s value in defeating GOP boogeywoman Hillary Clinton in 2016, while making clear Trump is now a hindrance to the MAGA agenda.
If Christie can raise enough money to stay on the air with ads and on the debate stage (with or without Trump), he will be well-equipped to make three arguments that might sway some GOP voters — and certainly be persuasive in the general election.
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First, as a former U.S. attorney, Christie can defend the FBI (which some MAGA members in the GOP threaten to defund) and the Justice Department (which Trump apparently threatens to purge). He can make both a principled argument (“You can’t destroy a justice system and keep your democracy and rights”) and a practical one (“Republicans are handing Democrats the law-and-order issue!”).
Moreover, Christie can point out the insanity of dismantling the premier federal law enforcement agency that protects us against everything from terrorism to cybercrimes to kidnapping — yet still offer some focused criticism of the FBI (which blew it on Jan. 6).
Second, more adeptly than any other contender, Christie can lay into Trump if and when the former president is indicted on a charge or charges of Jan. 6-related crimes and/or for Espionage Act violations/obstruction of justice. Again, Christie can make the principled argument: “Trump disqualified himself by inciting an attempted coup.” “You cannot snatch classified documents, stuff them in your drawer, show them to friends and try to flimflam the FBI.”
More important, he can make the practical arguments as a prosecutor that these cases are not going away. He can level with Republicans: You cannot expect the American people to elect someone who could get convicted of serious crimes — and, besides, he’s going to be spending the next 18 months (and beyond) in one courtroom after another.
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Third, Christie can be the truth-teller who can force Republicans to confront reality. They might not like him and might not like hearing it, but donors, Republican insiders and even some primary voters won’t enjoy the luxury of self-delusion. Simply by refusing to go along with the MAGA fantasy that Trump is viable, Christie just might rattle Trump and his less-devoted apologists.
And, as a bonus, Christie might be just the right person to take down the other bully in the race: DeSantis. Christie need not defend voting rights, the First Amendment and the free market (although that would be swell); he just has to mock DeSantis for looking ridiculous in taking on Disney and for losing repeatedly in court on his anti-First Amendment crusade.
And, if he really wants to get tough, Christie can go after DeSantis for his rotten record — one that Biden would savage in the general election. William Kleinknecht wrote for Time magazine recently: “Florida continues to languish toward the bottom of state rankings assessing the quality of health care, school funding, long-term elder care, and other areas key to a successful society.” Kleinknecht also pointed out, “Florida taxpayers get less for their money than residents of many other states. … It’s no wonder that Florida ranks below the northern blue states in life expectancy and rates of cancer death, diabetes, fatal overdoses, teen birth rates, and infant mortality.” Christie can argue that DeSantis’s record (even apart from the tens of thousands of preventable covid deaths) is nothing to brag about.
Christie’s highest value to the party — and to the country — not unlike the contribution of former congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), is to mount an effective takedown of Trump in the Republican presidential primary that either brings the GOP to its senses or hobbles him going into the general election. As an infamous bully credited with ruining Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) presidential chances in 2016, Christie has the verbal skills and chutzpah that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lacks to attack Trump in ways that could do real damage.
For starters, Christie can help create a rationale (what psychologists call a “permission structure”) that allows Republicans who voted for Trump to move on. After all, once he dropped out in 2016, Christie supported Trump. During Trump’s presidency, Christie periodically defended him, but after Jan. 6, 2021, he sharply rebuked Trump and since has warned that the charges against Trump are serious. In other words, he can say, “Like you, I voted for Trump in 2016 — but we cannot nominate him again.” He can tout Trump’s value in defeating GOP boogeywoman Hillary Clinton in 2016, while making clear Trump is now a hindrance to the MAGA agenda.
If Christie can raise enough money to stay on the air with ads and on the debate stage (with or without Trump), he will be well-equipped to make three arguments that might sway some GOP voters — and certainly be persuasive in the general election.
Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
First, as a former U.S. attorney, Christie can defend the FBI (which some MAGA members in the GOP threaten to defund) and the Justice Department (which Trump apparently threatens to purge). He can make both a principled argument (“You can’t destroy a justice system and keep your democracy and rights”) and a practical one (“Republicans are handing Democrats the law-and-order issue!”).
Moreover, Christie can point out the insanity of dismantling the premier federal law enforcement agency that protects us against everything from terrorism to cybercrimes to kidnapping — yet still offer some focused criticism of the FBI (which blew it on Jan. 6).
Second, more adeptly than any other contender, Christie can lay into Trump if and when the former president is indicted on a charge or charges of Jan. 6-related crimes and/or for Espionage Act violations/obstruction of justice. Again, Christie can make the principled argument: “Trump disqualified himself by inciting an attempted coup.” “You cannot snatch classified documents, stuff them in your drawer, show them to friends and try to flimflam the FBI.”
More important, he can make the practical arguments as a prosecutor that these cases are not going away. He can level with Republicans: You cannot expect the American people to elect someone who could get convicted of serious crimes — and, besides, he’s going to be spending the next 18 months (and beyond) in one courtroom after another.
Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
Third, Christie can be the truth-teller who can force Republicans to confront reality. They might not like him and might not like hearing it, but donors, Republican insiders and even some primary voters won’t enjoy the luxury of self-delusion. Simply by refusing to go along with the MAGA fantasy that Trump is viable, Christie just might rattle Trump and his less-devoted apologists.
And, as a bonus, Christie might be just the right person to take down the other bully in the race: DeSantis. Christie need not defend voting rights, the First Amendment and the free market (although that would be swell); he just has to mock DeSantis for looking ridiculous in taking on Disney and for losing repeatedly in court on his anti-First Amendment crusade.
And, if he really wants to get tough, Christie can go after DeSantis for his rotten record — one that Biden would savage in the general election. William Kleinknecht wrote for Time magazine recently: “Florida continues to languish toward the bottom of state rankings assessing the quality of health care, school funding, long-term elder care, and other areas key to a successful society.” Kleinknecht also pointed out, “Florida taxpayers get less for their money than residents of many other states. … It’s no wonder that Florida ranks below the northern blue states in life expectancy and rates of cancer death, diabetes, fatal overdoses, teen birth rates, and infant mortality.” Christie can argue that DeSantis’s record (even apart from the tens of thousands of preventable covid deaths) is nothing to brag about.
